Call to Action
A Call to Action was announced in 2012 by Blizzard Entertainment. It involves a focused playtest which doesn't use the PTR system. The changes are tested on variant maps. Blizzard believes all matchups below pro-level are balanced, but that pro-level zerg are struggling to scout early and defend against all-in rushes; Blizzard needs to improve the situation without making them overpowered. Blizzard wants to test only small adjustments that will affect pro-level play. As of January, 2014, Blizzard began testing a new balance testing extension mod, which allows other maps to be tested. In order to activate the mod *Navigate to Browse Maps on the Custom Games menu, *Select a map and click the Create with Mod button in the lower right corner, *Choose to sort by Blizzard Mods from the dropdown list at the top of the screen. *Select the “Balance Test Mod” Extension from the list and then hit Create Game. Change Log Deadwing LE March 5, 2015 Balance Test Map Changes Balance Test Map: “Deadwing LE (2.1.8 Balance v1.1)” This is an update. For a complete list of changes please also reference our post regarding Balance v1.0. Zerg *Locust **Locust duration decreased from 30 seconds to 25 seconds *Viper **Blinding Cloud range increased from 10 to 11 Protoss *Tempest **Bonus damage versus massive air units removedBlizzard Entertainment. 2015-03-05. Call to Action: March 5 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2015-03-23. January 29, 2015 Balance Test Map Changes Balance Test Map: “Deadwing LE (2.1.8 Balance v1.0)” Zerg *Swarm Host **Cost modified from 200 Minerals and 100 Vespene to 100 Minerals and 200 Vespene **Supply cost increased from 3 to 4 **Movement speed increased from 2.25 to 2.95 **Swarm Hosts now require the Burrow research in order to burrow **Swarm Hosts no longer collide with Locusts *Spawn Locusts – This ability has been reworked **Auto-cast removed, Spawn Locusts must now be manually cast. **Spawn Locusts cooldown increased from 25 seconds to 60 seconds **Casting Spawn Locusts no longer requires a Swarm Host to be burrowed *Locust **Weapon speed increased from .8 to .6 **Locust duration increased from 15 seconds (+10 seconds with Enduring Locusts) to 30 seconds *Infestation Pit **Enduring Locusts – This upgrade has been removed **New upgrade: Flying Locusts - Allows Locusts spawned by Swarm Hosts to fly. Flying Locusts can use Swoop to land and attack ***Requires Lair ***Cost is 200 Minerals, 200 Vespene, 160 seconds ***Allows Locusts spawned by Swarm Hosts to fly. Flying Locusts can use Swoop to land and attack ***''Swoop:'' Orders the Locust to land at the targeted location, allowing it to attack Terran *Raven **Point Defense Drone duration decreased from 180 seconds to 20 secondsBlizzard Entertainment. 2015-01-29. Call to Action: January 29 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2015-01-29. December 15, 2014 Terran *Widow Mine **Widow mine splash damage decreased from 40 +40 shields to 40 +20 shields.Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-12-15. all to Action: December 15 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2015-01-29. Overgrowth LE July 17, 2014 Terran *Widow Mine **Splash radius is now 1.75. There are no longer 50% or 25% damage zones. **Splash damage is now 40 (+40 Shields) for the full 1.75 splash radius. *Thor **Changed to prioritize their AA weapon over the AG weapon Protoss *Mothership Core **Time Warp duration decreased from 30 to 15 secondsBlizzard Entertainment. 2014-07-17. Call to Action: July 17 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-07-18. July 11, 2014 Terran *Widow Mine **Splash radius increased from 1.25/1.5/1.75 to 1.5/2/2.5 *Thor **Changed to prioritize their AA weapon over the AG weapon Protoss *Mothership Core **Time Warp duration decreased from 30 to 15 secondsBlizzard Entertainment. 2014-07-11. Call to Action: July 11 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-07-13. Merry Go Round LE May 21, 2014 Terran *Removed Transformation Servos upgrade *Changed Hellion/Hellbat transform requirement to Armory Zerg *Brood Lord gains the Frenzied ability *Frenzied is changed to also be immune to movement altering abilitiesBlizzard Entertainment. 2014-05-21. Call to Action: May 21 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Acessed 2014-05-22. May 14, 2014 Terran *Removed Transformation Servos upgrade *Changed Hellion/Hellbat transform requirement to Armory Zerg *Spore Crawler damage decreased from 15 + 30 vs biological to 15 + 10 vs biological *Hydralisk damage against air increased from 12 to 12 + 4 vs biologicalBlizzard Entertainment. 2014-05-14. Call to Action: May 14 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-05-19. May 5, 2014 Terran *Removed Transformation Servos upgrade *Changed Hellion/Hellbat transform requirement to ArmoryBlizzard Entertainment. 2014-05-05. Call to Action: May 5 Balance Testing. ''Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-05-06. Frost LE The following Calls to Action were sounded for Frost LE. February 13, 2014 Protoss *'Mothership Core' **Vision radius decreased from 14 to 9. *'Stalker' **Blink cooldown increased from 10 to 15. *'Tempest' **Damage increased from 30 to 30 + 30 to structures. Terran *'Widow Mine' **Splash damage now deals 40 + 40 shield damage. Zerg *'Hydralisk' **Delay between attacks decreased from .83 to .75.Blizzard Entertainment. 2014-02-13. Call to Action: February 13 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-02-14. January 31, 2014 Protoss *'Mothership Core' **Photon Overcharge duration decreased from 60 to 50 seconds. **Time Warp energy cost increased from 75 to 100. *'Tempest' **Resonance Coil ground weapon damage increased from 30 to 30 + 30 vs. Structures. Terran *'Ghost' **Starting energy increased from 50 to 75. **The Moebius Reactor upgrade has been removed from the Ghost Academy. Zerg *'Hydralisk' **Cost decreased from 100/50 to 100/25.Spyrian. 2014-01-31. Call to Action: January 31 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2014-01-31. Explanations for the testing changes were given by David Kim. Bel’Shir Vestige LE, Yeonsu LE and Alterzim Stronghold TE The following Calls to Action were sounded for Bel’Shir Vestige LE, Yeonsu LE and Alterzim Stronghold TE. October 23, 2013 *Bel’Shir Vestige LE (2.0.11 Balance v1.1) *Yeonsu LE (2.0.11 Balance v1.1) *Alterzim Stronghold TE (2.0.11 Balance v1.1) Protoss Oracle *Movement speed increased from 3.375 to 4.0 *Acceleration increased from 2 to 3 *Units that burrow or cloak while under the effects of Revelation will once again be revealed after unburrowing or uncloaking. Terran Armory *Vehicle and Ship Weapon upgrades have been combined Siege Tank *Siege Mode attack period decreased from 3.0 to 2.7 Widow Mine *Sentinel Missiles now deal reduced damage to units caught within its splash radius based on their distance from the target: **40 damage within 1.25 radius **20 damage from 1.25 to 1.5 radius **10 damage from 1.5 to 1.75 radius Zerg Roach Warren *The Tunneling Claws upgrade now increases burrowed Roach movement speed from 1.41 to 2.25.Spyrian. 2013-10-23. New Maps for Heart of the Swarm Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-10-25. Bel'Shir Vestige The following Calls to Action were sounded for Bel'shir Vestige October 17, 2013 Bel'Shir Vestige LE (2.0.11 Balance v1.1) Protoss *Oracle **Revelation casting range has returned to 9. **Units that burrow or cloak while under the effects of Revelation will once again be revealed after unburrowing or uncloaking. Terran *Widow Mine **Sentinel Missiles splash damage radius has returned to 1.75. **Sentinel Missiles now deal reduced damage to units caught within its splash radius based on their distance from the target: ***40 damage within 1.25 radius ***20 damage from 1.25 to 1.5 radius ***10 damage from 1.5 to 1.75 radiusSpyrian. 2013-10-17. Call to Action: October 17 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-10-18. October 2, 2013 Bel'Shir Vestige LE (2.0.11 Balance v1.0) Protoss *Oracle **Movement speed increased from 3.375 to 4.0 **Acceleration increased from 2 to 3 **Revelation casting radius increased from 9 to 10 Terran *Armory **Vehicle and Ship Weapon upgrades have been combined *Siege Tank **Siege Mode attack period decreased from 3.0 to 2.7 *Widow Mine **Sentinel Missiles splash radius decreased from 1.75 to 1.25 Zerg *Roach Warren **The Tunneling Claws upgrade now increases burrowed Roach movement speed from 1.41 to 2.25.Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-10-02. Call to Action: October 2 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-10-04. August 19, 2013 Bel’Shir Vestige LE (2.0.10 Balance v1.1) Terran *Armory **Vehicle and Ship Weapon upgrades have been combined into just one upgrade. Zerg *Overseer **The Pneumatized Carapace upgrade now increases Overseer movement speed from 1.88 to 3.375 (previously 1.88 to 2.75.) *Ultralisk **Health increased from 500 to 550.Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-08-19. Call to Action: August 19 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-08-20. August 15, 2013 Bel’Shir Vestige LE (2.0.10 Balance v1.0) Terran *Armory **Vehicle and Ship Weapon upgrades have been combined into just one upgrade. Zerg *Overseer **The Pneumatized Carapace upgrade now increases Overseer movement speed from 1.88 to 3.375 (previously 1.88 to 2.75.) *Viper **Starting energy increased to 200.Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-08-15. Call to Action: August 15 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-08-16. Derelict Watcher The following Calls to Action were sounded for Derelict Watcher June 14, 2013 Derelict Watcher TE (2.0.8 Balance v1.1) Protoss *Warp Prism **Movement speed increased from 2.5 to 2.953 (previously 2.5 to 3.375.) **Acceleration increased from 2.125 to 2.625 (previously 2.125 to 3.25.) **The Gravitic Drive upgrade has returned to the Robotics Bay and will increase movement speed to 3.375 and acceleration to 3.25 when researched. Terran *Hellbat **Attack damage decreased from 18 +12 vs. light to 18. **The Infernal Pre-Igniter upgrade increases attack damage from 18 to 18 +12 vs. light. *Banshee **Cloaking Field research cost decreased from 200/200 to 100/100 **Cloaking Field research time decreased from 110 seconds to 90.Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-06-14. Call to Action: June 14 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-06-14. May 30, 2013 Blizzard proposed the following changes to a version of Derelict Watcher. Protoss *Warp Prism **The Gravitic Drive upgrade has been removed from the Robotics Bay. **Movement speed increased from 2.5 to 3.375. **Acceleration increased from 2.125 to 3.25.Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-05-30. Call to Action: May 30 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment.'' Accessed 2013-05-30. Akilon Wastes The following Calls to Action were sounded for Akilon Wastes May 2, 2013 Blizzard proposed the following changes to a version of Akilon Wastes. *Spore Crawler damage increased from 15 +15 vs. biological to 15 +30 vs. biological *Burrow research cost decreased from 100/100 to 50/50 *Oracle movement speed increased from 3.375 to 4 *Oracle acceleration increased from 2 to 3David Kim. 2013-05-02. Call to Action: May 2 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-05-03. Antiga Shipyard The following Calls to Action were sounded for Antiga Shipyard January 11, 2013 Antiga Shipyard (1.5.3 Balance v2.0) *Infested terrans no longer gain weapon and armor upgrades.Blizzard Entertainment. 2013-01-11. Wings of Liberty Situation Report - January 11, 2013. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-01-11. November 30, 2012 Blizzard proposed the following changes at Antiga Shipyard: *Raven seeker missile no longer requires an upgrade. *Infested terran egg health reduced to 80 (was 100).Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-11-30. Call to Action: November 30 Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-11-30. November 20, 2012 Blizzard proposed the following changes at Antiga Shipyard (1.5.3 Balance) *Fungal Growth no longer affects Psionic units. *Raven Seeker Missile no longer requires an upgrade.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-11-20. Call to Action: Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-11-20. August 8th, 2012 Another Call to Action was sounded for patch 1.5, again on Antiga Shipyard. *Creep tumor build radius, vision radius, and creep spread radius decreased from 10 to 8. *Raven movement acceleration increased from 2 to 2.25. *Raven movement speed increased from 2.25 to 2.5.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-08-08. Call to Action: Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-08-09. May 4th, 2012 Blizzard proposed the following changes: *Queen anti-ground weapon attack range increased from 3 to 5. *Observer build time decreased to 30, down from 40.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-05-05. Call to Action: Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2012-05-07. Most of the changes made it into the special balance update issued later that month.Blizzard Entertainment. 2012-05-09. Call to Action: Balance Testing. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2013-05-14. May 2nd, 2012 Blizzard proposed the following changes: *Overlord movement speed increased to 0.586, up from 0.4687. Upgraded overlord movement speed unchanged. *Queen starting energy increased to 50, up from 25. (Blizzard later removed this change.) References Category:StarCraft II updates